Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Wang Xingyu
After exchanging a few more words, Zhang Cheng walked Wu Yun to the company entrance and saw him off to his car.
It was still early, with two hours to go before Qi Fei’s class ended.
Wu Yun drove his "Little Frog" straight onto the Modu Drama Academy campus, parked, and began checking on his various companies through his system. He also took the opportunity to message a few other women.
Inside an apartment in a Modu residential complex, the simply furnished living room had been transformed beyond recognition. The original sofa and coffee table were pushed to one side, the center of the room converted into several workstations. Each station had two or three computer monitors, and a few people were staring intently at the various line graphs on the screens.
A large server on a central table whirred loudly, its fans filling the living room with the constant hum of running machinery.
"Old Wang, we’ve gotten all our capital back this time! A total of 56.44 million after taxes, and that includes our initial principal of 8 million from the four of us," said a man with thick glasses, his eyes glued to a screen. In the monitor’s glow, his face shone with oil, and his somewhat long hair was plastered to his scalp as if it hadn’t been washed in days.
Wang Xingyu, the man they called Old Wang, wasn’t in much better shape. He was just as scruffy and his hair was just as greasy.
"Based on the forecast, the market isn’t expected to make any big moves next quarter, so it’ll be hard to get a read on. We can take a break for a while, live it up a little," said a disheveled young man across from Wang Xingyu, rubbing the gunk from the corner of his eye.
"Alright, alright! Let’s log off and split the loot! As we agreed, we’ll set aside twenty million in principal for next year. The remaining 36.44 million will be split evenly—that’s 9.11 million each," the man with the glasses said. "I’ll use the USB security key to transfer the money to your accounts in a bit. Once you get it, don’t go too crazy. We don’t want you showing up next year looking like a walking skeleton."
"Tch! Am I that kind of guy? I’m the faithful type, you know," Wang Xingyu scoffed.
"Speaking of which, Old Wang, how are things going with that ’childhood sweetheart’ you’re chasing?" the chubby guy, who hadn’t spoken yet, asked with a smirk.
Wang Xingyu replied with a helpless look, "It is what it is. I’m just taking a ’let’s see what happens’ approach anyway. Besides, the last few times I went to see her, she either told me straight up that she has a boyfriend or just avoided me completely."
Wang Xingyu stood up and stretched. The bottom of his sweat-stained white T-shirt rode up, revealing a small potbelly over his belt. "It’s my dad who keeps pushing me to go after her. I mean, I have a good impression of Qi Fei—after all, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met—but I think my career is more important. That’s why I’ve only been looking her up occasionally."
Then, Wang Xingyu dropped a bombshell. "Actually, Qi Fei’s boyfriend invited me to dinner tonight. I wasn’t going to go, but I’m curious to see who this guy is that managed to capture her heart. If he doesn’t measure up to me in any way, then I won’t hold back!"
The chubby guy teased, "Then you’d better go get cleaned up. Looking like the slob you are now, how are you going to win any beauty’s heart? In your current state, you could offer to pay double for a one-night stand and still get turned down! Everybody, clean yourselves up! Tonight, we’re hitting up the ’usual spot’! My treat! Oh, and Old Wang, where are you guys eating? Want us to book the table next to you and be your wingmen?!"
Wang Xingyu pulled off his T-shirt, revealing his flabby torso. He scratched his scalp and said, "No need! It’s at the Peace Restaurant. I’m going to go shower and change. You guys take your time getting ready!"
...
The door of the "Little Frog" opened, and Qi Fei slid gracefully into the passenger seat. She smiled brightly at Wu Yun and gave him a quick, light kiss on the cheek. "My dearest Xiaoyunzi, have I kept you waiting long?"
’Qi Fei had once fantasized about her boyfriend waiting for her downstairs at the dorm or outside a classroom building after her classes ended, just like an ordinary couple going on a date, having dinner, or even... That day had come so quickly. But it was a shame, because scenes like this would become rare in the future, or perhaps never happen again.’
"Let’s go! We should hurry, don’t want to keep your ’Brother’ Wang Xingyu waiting too long!" Wu Yun said. Two days earlier, he’d had Qi Fei send Wang Xingyu the details of their reservation at the Dragon and Phoenix Hall in the Peace Restaurant. He planned to deal with this "annoying fly" for Qi Fei before he left Modu.
"Hey, don’t say that! His dad and my dad are close, that’s all. It’s not like we are!"
The "Little Frog"’s engine roared as it merged into the swelling stream of traffic.
Wang Xingyu sat in his chair, bored stiff, waiting for Wu Yun and Qi Fei to arrive.
He knew Qi Fei’s class ended late, and on top of that, it was peak rush hour. Although her school wasn’t too far from the Peace Restaurant, the trip would still take time. He could only blame himself for being overeager and rushing over right after his shower.
A smile crept across Wang Xingyu’s face as he looked at his bank balance on his phone—it had just reached eight digits.
The moment he received the payout, he had sent a screenshot to his three-person family group chat. He made sure to explain that this was the profit from the last six-plus months, and that they still had another five million each in the account as startup capital for the next year.
Wang Xingyu had also offered to return the two million in principal to his father, but Wang Qiang naturally refused. He had just said, "You’ve done well. I misunderstood you before, and I apologize. From now on, as long as you don’t do anything illegal, I won’t interfere in your business anymore! And if you ever lose it all, just remember you can always come home and inherit the family fortune!"
Wang Xingyu’s mother had spammed the chat with a ton of emojis, praising her capable son. Then she’d chewed out Wang Qiang, telling him to mind his own business from now on.
Just as Wang Xingyu was busy with his messages, he caught sight of a waiter leading a handsome man and a beautiful woman over. It was the very woman he’d been dreaming of, Qi Fei, and... ’a pretty boy!’
Wang Xingyu put away his phone, stood up, and extended his right hand with a smile. "Hello, hello! I’m Wang Xingyu, Feifei’s childhood sweetheart!"
Qi Fei was instantly displeased. She looked at Wang Xingyu and said, "Wang Xingyu, don’t talk nonsense! I may call you ’brother’ out of courtesy, but please don’t say things like that. We’ve met so few times I could count them on two hands. Don’t try to invent a connection between us to cause problems between me and Wu Yun."
Wu Yun draped his left arm around Qi Fei’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring pat. Then, he smiled and shook Wang Xingyu’s hand. "I’m Wu Yun, Qi Fei’s boyfriend."
Wang Xingyu’s eyes, however, were fixed on the exquisite watch on Wu Yun’s left wrist. The joy from his recent payout was instantly cut in half. ’Holy shit! A Patek Philippe! This kid is loaded! Even my old man has never bought a watch like that!’
Though his mind was racing, Wang Xingyu’s smile didn’t falter. "Haha, Feifei mentioned a few times that she had a boyfriend! Now that I see you, you really are an impressive guy. I’m curious, brother, what is it you do?"
Wang Xingyu had actually tried to learn about Wu Yun from Qi Fei’s roommates before, but who knew they’d all be so tight-lipped. Only the one named Li Yao had let a tiny detail slip: Wu Yun was still a student, a year younger than them. His ego had swelled at the news. ’A little brat still studying on his parents’ dime? How could he possibly compete with me?’
